My pregnancy journal made me laugh this week, week 28, the third and final trimester begins. Here is what it told me to expect :

“You are now on the home straight! – the third trimester – and you should be feeling fantastic, but take care not to overdo it. Spend some time every day relaxing with your feet up. This will help to relieve any stress and make you less likely to suffer from swollen feet and ankles – a common complaint during pregnancy. Your hair should look and feel thicker and healthier – now is a good time to go to the hairdresser’s and get an easy-to-manage hairstyle.”

Hmm… the reality for me wasn’t quite as wonderful as the above as sickness began again with a vengeance.

This is what I wrote in answer to the questions in my journal –

Energy – great, resting loads, getting lots done in the house until the plumbing went completely.

Mood – fantastic, newly married and trying to prepare our home for baby

Appetite – not huge, mainly want toast and little meals.

Cravings – KFC, but trying not to give in to it.

Sickness – not so great, mainly due to pain in hips and stress of home.

Notes : Isis’ birthday party was stressful, sad that we have to leave our home when I had ‘baby corner’ ready. Have girls all week.

This was supposed to be wind down time for an expectant mother but for us everything was becoming heightened. The house finally completely blew up, we had to move in with my parents as our first week as a married couple, and it was half term and we had the girls all week. Crazy!!! Again, looking back, we did it though. Our lives have just always been ridiculously stressful. Starting a marriage as a blended family is difficult as there are already children involved as you are learning about each other and adjusting to living together. We hadn’t really had time for a honeymoon period, we were thrown straight into the thick of real everyday living, with real problems.

It’s no wonder the stress triggered my sickness off again, and I was struggling to walk and awaiting a physio appointment for my hips. I was loving my bump though. I had been feeling Judah kicking in my tummy since about 16 weeks pregnant, which is really early for the first baby, but, this week was the first time he full on kicked James in the back whilst we were snuggled up in bed asleep. It was a really precious moment, even if it was a bit of a shock for James.

My favourite quote from the week having the girls with us at my Mum’s, back when Isis called me Alex :

Mum : ‘Isis I love you to the moon and back’
Isis : (silence but cuddles Nana)
(Mum leaves the room)
Isis : ‘Alex, I love you to infinity’ (pause), ‘I know how long it takes to get to the moon. A week’
Me : ‘Mum, I think you’re going to have to change your analogy’
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